The present invention relates to a method of handling containers, for instance beverage containers, such as bottles, flasks, cans etc., that are to be distributed to retailers in shallow trays which are suitable for displaying the containers and which enable several trays to be stacked one upon the other in layers. The invention also relates to a tray and to a lifting device for use when carrying out the method.
Efforts are constantly being made in the brewery industry, among others, for more rational methods of increasing productivity. The customers, normally retailers, place demands on flexibility when ordering different items of goods and wish for the goods to be delivered in a manner which displays the goods to their customers in turn.
For instance, there is a general wish for beverage containing bottles to be delivered in shallow trays which can be stacked one upon the other and in which the bottles can be clearly seen, instead of using deep crates. In this regard, it is also desired that stacks of mutually different sorts of beverages can be loaded onto a pallet, e.g. a three-stack pallet.
Beverage containing bottles for instance are normally handled in breweries in deep boxes or crates, therewith making it necessary to transfer the bottles into trays of a kind in which the bottles are suitably displayed. This constitutes an expensive procedure at present day costs.
In order to facilitate handling stacks of present day trays, it is necessary first to place respective stacks on a small "slave pallet" and then place this slave pallet on a pallet of standard size. This is necessary because, among other things, the trays are so weak that a stack corresponding, for instance, to half the size of a standard pallet or to a third of the size of a pallet cannot be lifted solely by applying a lifting force to the bottom most tray. Consequently, it is necessary to lift the stack with the aid of a separate slave pallet adapted to the stack. Handling of such a stack in a brewery with the aid of a pallet trolley or the like is also problematic because of the instability of the stack.